Congress leaders in Kerala remain undecided on whether the national leadership of the party should accept the invitation to attend the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president K. Sudhakaran on Thursday called for the national leadership to take a decisive stand on the Congress’ participation in the event. Speaking to the media in Kannur, Mr. Sudhakaran said the party’s Kerala unit’s opinion on the matter would align with the national leadership’s decision and that the State unit would communicate its position if sought.
Senior leader V.M. Sudheeran said the Congress should unequivocally boycott the function. He said the moment had come when the Congress could uphold its secular and democratic principles for the country and world to behold. The BJP had built the temple over the ruins of a demolished mosque. The very act ran against the grain of Congress’ founding principles. Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi had upheld the Congress’ secular values. He asked the party to drop its economic neo-liberalism and embrace Nehruvian socialism.
However, K. Muraleedharn, MP, said the KPCC had informed the All India Congress Committee (AICC) that it was opposed to party leaders attending the temple consecration. Speaking to the media in Kozhikode on Thursday, Mr. Muraleedharan said the party was yet to take a stand at the national level and there was still time to think about it. The Congress MP, however, said that the Kerala unit of the party had already informed AICC general secretary K.C. Venugopal that it was opposed to party leaders attending the event.
“Temple consecration is a religious matter. It is not the duty of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to dedicate it to the nation. He is a leader of our country that has many temples, mosques and churches. The inauguration should be done by the temple trustees and priests,” Mr. Muraleedharan said.
His comments come against the backdrop of several Congress leaders in Kerala refusing to comment on the issue. Suprabhaatham, the mouthpiece of the influential Sunni scholars’ forum Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama, had criticised the party for pursuing a “soft Hindutva” line.
Earlier in the day, opening the foundation day celebrations of the Congress, Mr. Muraleedharan said that Mr. Modi opening the temple was against Hindu religious traditions. “This is a trap laid by the BJP. We need not fall into it. Some people may vote for Mr. Modi because of the temple constructed in Ayodhya, and they will anyway not vote for the Congress,” Mr Muraleedharan added.
Responding to the statement Mr. Muraleedharan, Mr. Sudhakaran, however, said Mr. Muraleedharan himself should be asked about the basis of his opinion.
Reacting to the CPI(M)‘s decision to turn down the invitation to attend the event, Congress Working Committee member and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor said the Left party can take a decision easily on the matter as they don’t have faith in any religion.
“There are no ideologies of the CPI(M) or the BJP within the Congress. We are seeing Hindutva as a political doctrine. It is not connected with the Hindu religion. So, we are neither the CPI(M) nor the BJP. Give us time to take a decision on the matter,” he told the mediapersons.
(With PTI inputs)
